I am a Partner with Future Workplace, an executive development firm that assists organizations in re-thinking, re-defining and re-imagining their corporate recruiting, learning & talent management strategies to prepare for the 2020 workplace. I am the co-author of the best selling book, The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop & Keep Tomorrow’s Employees Today (Harper Collins) and also the author of two books on Corporate Universities: Lessons In Building A World-Class Workforce.
I have spent much of my career in marketing, human resources, and corporate learning roles and now I consult for FORTUNE 1000 firms. I actively follow and write about mega trends of globalization, multiple generations and social media with an emphasis on how these trends impact the workplace of the future. I live in New York City and enjoy the energy of living and working among 8 million people.

The Boomer-Millennial Workplace Clash: Is it Real?

If you haven’t disclosed the details of a drinking binge, blasted music from your cubicle, or taken a mid-meeting nap at work recently, then you’re in better shape than many of the employees at a Fortune 500 healthcare company, where lately some business unit managers have asked the HR department for help teaching what they refer to as Millennial workplace etiquette.

In fact, they are asking for books, training programs, videos, anything to orient Millennial employees to the norms and culture of an organization.

On the heels of Time magazine’s controversial recent cover story by Joel Stein, which referred to Millennials as lazy, entitled, and selfish, it’s important to consider how that characterization, whether true or unfairly conjured from stereotypes, plays into workplace dynamics.

In my own research, through my company, Future Workplace, I’ve studied how generations interact and relate to each other in the workplace, and come to some surprising conclusions. When we conducted our “Multiple Generations @ Work” survey in 2012, we talked to 1,189 employees from various companies, and found that some seemingly common-sense workplace expectations didn’t translate across the generations.

In the survey, our sample of 150 managers provided examples of surprising questions they received from millennial-aged interviewees. To their horror, they had to address such inappropriate questions like, “Do I have to show up every day for work?” “Do you drug test – often?” “Can my Mom call you about the benefits package?”

No matter who or what is to blame for this etiquette gap (and, to be sure, opinions abound – helicopter parents? MTV? Social media?), it’s something hiring managers and HR departments must address. After all, they can’t simply avoid Millennials – 40 million of them are already in the workforce, and by the year 2025, they’ll make up three out of every four workers worldwide, according to Time magazine. While Time’s Joel Stein paints the picture of an entitled group of narcissists, he offers little in the way of practical advice for the scores of managers who have to work with them on each day.

Yes, each generation brings its own mental map to the workplace, but it is the job of a manager to understand this, develop what I call “generational intelligence,” and create a plan of action to instill into Millennial employees a sense of the company culture. Let’s not blame Millennials for so

mething their manager has failed to address in the employee on-boarding process.

So what should managers do? Here are my five action steps for developing generational intelligence in the workplace:

Make Training & Mentoring A Priority. This kind of support is crucial when you’re dealing with a group used to receiving plenty of feedback and one-on-one attention. Consider creating a formal training program on managing multiple Generations and build into this an “employee affinity group” or “employee resource group” that targets millennial workers. These have long existed as a valuable resource for sub-groups such as “Women Leaders” and “Latino Managers” and they are now starting to cover generational themes. For instance, Bank of America’s Employee IGEN Resource Group focuses on generational perceptions in the workplace, providing advice and counsel to both managers and Millennial workers on how to adapt communications, learning and engagement styles to various generations in workplace. I think of these groups as a mash-up between a meet-up and a learning program. Often senior executives are invited to these Employee Resource Group meetings, and they share their own career development stories, including how they deal with company culture and norms.

Set clear objectives – from the start. Employees “are not mind readers, regardless of their generation,” as Scott Katz, the Director of Talent Development at Turner Broadcasting, put it. It’s just that Millennials, being newish to the workplace, don’t have the same depth of norms to compare things to.” Katz sits down with every new hire to explain the norms in his team and lay out his “likes, dislikes, and preferences.” His employees have responded well to that. “People appreciate it not being a guessing game,” he says. “The norms used to be a little bit more equal across the board,” Katz adds. “Corporate culture was much clearer. But because now you’ve got this huge variety of cultures across the globe and age diversity in the workplace, there is justifiably more confusion than there used to be.”

Consider the medium. When training, don’t rely on outdated modes of delivery to develop your employees. Instead, focus on how Millennials access new knowledge in their personal lives and incorporate that into on-the-job training. Search for content on sites such as Youtube, Ted Talks, and Howcast to find free resources to add to your development programs. Cisco estimates that by 2017, 69% of data for both businesses and consumers will be video-based.

Provide feedback early and often. Millennials are accustomed to frequent feedback, and have only recently left the academic environment where that feedback is built right in to the “job.” So build feedback into this job, too. This may benefit more than just your youngest employees. Scott Katz says that the team has embraced his tendency toward frequent feedback, but that he doesn’t see that as a generation-specific trait. “Everyone appreciates it, but employees from other generations don’t ask for it because they haven’t ‘grown up’ in an environment where that’s an option. Making feedback social can further engage employees in the process of their own development. Gilt.com uses social performance firm Work.com (formerly Rypple) to provide instant feedback to its employees, which is of particular appeal not only to Millennials but to all generations.

Pause before reacting. Take a step back. Some of the popular go-to complaints about Millennials smack of plain old generational resentment. But to take a line from Dr Phil, “How’s that working for you?” Generational resentment does not lead to the behavior change you are looking for in the workplace. Every generation brings a its own set of expectations to the workplace and especially in a competitive economy, companies need to adapt or lose top talent.

Meanwhile, Millennial workers can also take steps to ensure they understand the cultural norms of the workplace. Here are some of the tips they should consider, crowdsourced from members of the 2020 Workplace Network of HR, Talent Management and Corporate Learning professionals:

Until you’ve got the lay of the land, hold off on friending your boss on Facebook or other platforms, as many managers draw a clear line between LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.

Remember engaging in social media lasts forever – don’t criticize your boss or coworkers on any social media profiles.

Keep your need to text at bay! The average Millennial sends up to 1,500 text messages a month, but for many older folks personal texting at work seems rude and disrespectful. While some managers may appreciate a text message rather than an email, it is up to you, the employee, to know the preferred communications styles of your manager.

Position yourself as a subject matter expert of your generation. When teams are being formed on new product or service launches, volunteer to join and present the point of view from your generation. This is valuable input and could lead to any number of opportunities. This is also a great way to network with possible mentors at your firm.

Follow the lead of your manager regarding how to get things done in your organization. Sending an email to your CEO with your suggestions for improvements to the company may be appreciated at one firm, but a major faux pas at another. Request that your manager lay out his or her norms (al la Scott Katz at Turner Broadcasting) for how to work the chain of command at your organization.

Readers, what is your company doing to develop and manage a Millennial workforce? Millennials, is your company up to speed on the needs of your generation, or dragging behind?

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